whew.... she's dropped to a Cat four but she's still packing winds of 150 mph so don't let your guards down...

and the Texass freeways are anything but freeways... more like parking lots filled with anxious people trying to get the hell out of harm's way... tempers are short, gas too... shades of War of the Worlds, if you ask me and even if you didn't

I have a friend in east Texas. She sent emails out to everyone to not worry, she has weathered hurricanes before. She has a little dog she would never leave, but I hear they are allowing pets out this time. She plans to stay in her place as far away from the big tree as possible. (?!!)

I am scared to death. This is her computer I am working on. When she upgraded she sent it because my iMac was on it's last legs.

Everything is alright The Pray-sident is in Cheynne Mountain at NOTHCOM ! He is gonna direct from there instead of Crawford. He is trying to get off the booze anyway.
TUT

Bush to head to Colorado command as Hurricane Rita moves in
WASHINGTON (AFP) Sep 23, 2005
US President George W. Bush was to head to Colorado on Friday to monitor operations to respond to powerful Hurricane Rita, as it closed in on the Texas-Louisiana coast.

"We're now facing yet another big storm," Bush said at a Federal Emergency Management Agency facility. "And the folks here ... are working so hard to help the folks on the ground prepare for the storm.".............

Asked if he would be heading to the hurricane strike zone now, Bush said "NorthCom is the main entity that interfaces, that uses federal assets, federal troops to act with federal and state government.

"It's an important relationship and I need to know how it works better. We will make sure that my entourage does not get in the way of people doing their job, which will be search and rescue immediately."...............
Wish I had an entourage to clean up my mess!!!!!!

Maybe you like the idea of offshore drilling for Alaska, but the people who will be most effected by it spent a great deal of time in Washington, trying to bring the fate of Area 1002 to the attention of the public.

My heart is with an untouched wilderness, not people who are willing to sell their soul for $$$. We already have too many of them around.

Well I have worked in the oil patch for 20+ years from Cairo to Deadhorse so tell me about it!!!! I currently live on the Kenai Peninsula and have spent most of my history in off shore drilling. In the Arctic, Pacific, North Atlantic, Gulf of Mexico, and the Red Sea. Plus a few Lakes and Mountains looking for geo thermal, gas, and oil resources to power the American need for greed and speed.

What is that area as well as a Gwich'in ?

TUT

_________________Look out kid, They keep it all hid.”
Bob Dylan “Subterranean Homesick Blues”

Area 1002, pronounced ten-oh-two, is the area in the Alaska National Wildlife Reserve that Gov. Murkowski wants drilled--to open up the shores off Alaska to oil.

The little bitty area he talks about is actually little pieces over a largh area, the people selling this idea only count places that actually are attached to the ground. The feet that hold pipe in place are counted as the tiny space the foot is attached to the ground. The area the pipe goes over does not count, nor the roads or airfields or anything that isn't pumping or holding those lines in place.

Gwich'in is the name of the tribe of native peoples that live in the area and rely on the Porcupine Caribou for just about everything in their lives. The tribe covers a large area, small numbers of them in many home areas. They live in Canada and in Alaska. The tribe got together recently for the first time in 100 years to try to deal with the threat to their heritage.

Gwich'in spent many days in Washington, doing native dances and talking with people about their way of life and the need to NOT drill in ANWR. Meanwhile Gov. Murkowski is boasting that drilling in Area 1002 is the way to open drilling offshore in Alaska.

Drilling in Area 1002 is not going to help with our crude oil supply--there is not enough there to be a drop in the bucket, it will not be dedicated to the United States, it won't be available for another 10 years. But our tax dollars will be pumped into Exxon while they destroy the Porcupine Caribou calving grounds and ship that oil to the highest bidder which very well may be China.

We have a treaty with Canada to not disturb that area and Canada is serious about leaving the site natural. Canada will also produce oil for the United States, more than could come from ANWR.

Don't confuse the Porcupine Caribou with the Caribou to the south. Porcupine Caribou travel great distances in huge herds. They get their name because they cross the Porcupine River with each spring and autumn movement. The Caribou to the south are more stable, Porcupine Caribou are skittish and should their calving area be taken over by drilling rigs and pipelines, many calves will die.

Thousands of wildlife and hundreds of thousands of birds that call that area home will not survive either. The Gwich'in will be displaced too. They are not made for city life. their whole life revolves around the Caribou. All this so a few greedy people can extract tax dollars from the United States government.

It is WAY too high a price to pay for the greed and insensitivity of 'comfortable people'.

This is one of the main reasons I hang around this site. The wealth of information we all have that is contributed so well as to fill in any blanks. Thank you dori for such concise detailed analysis of a serious problem.

Why can't the media do any simple investigative work and give at least a paragraph or two about the other side of the story, instead of sticking to the press releases and the status quo. Could it be they are just sell outs and have been bought lock stock and barrel?